Sports bra

ABSTRACT

A sports bra constructed for restricting breast motion when the wearer is engaged in a vigorous sport such as basketball, tennis or volleyball includes a left three piece breast cup of non-stretch material for holding the left breast and a right three-piece breast cup of non-stretch material for holding the right breast. The sports bra also includes a pair of front panels, a pair of back panels and a pair of stretch panels. All panels except for the stretch panels are made of non-stretch material. A front closure in the form of a lace along with a set of eyelets on each breast cup adjustably pulls the two breast cups together and a rear closure in the form of a set of hooks and eyes adjustably attaches the two back panels together to close off the back ends of the sports bra.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to sports bras and more particularly to a sports bra which is designed for use when playing a vigorous sport such as basketball, volleyball or tennis.

Sports bras are well known in the art and widely used by women when engaging in a vigorous sports activity.

In U.S. Pat. No. 2,523,395 which issued on Sep. 26, 1950, to I. J. Sellarole there is disclosed a brassiere having a pair of breast cups of substantially conical form, each breast cup formed by providing a pair of quadrant-type segments at the lower half thereof, a pair of trapezoidal segments and a v-shaped segment interposed there between for the upper half thereof, the v-shaped segment having its apex at the approximate center of the cup, with its base disposed a the approximate top center of the cup, all of the segments being stitched together along their contiguous edges.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,566 to Rosalie M. Novitsky, etc. which issued on Dec. 1, 1992, there is disclosed a brassiere construction having beast cups provided with a central diagonally extending panel that is stretchable in vertical directions, and which is non-stretchable in horizontal directions, thus to accommodate different volumes of breast tissue falling within a determined range of volumes.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,768 to Edie Fleischman-Ament et al. which issued on Feb. 23, 1999, there is disclosed an active-wear garment which comfortably provides support to the chest and back areas of the physically-active wearer, while wicking away moisture from the skin of the wearer. The active-wear garment of the present invention provides support such that the breasts of the wearer are comfortably supported and effectively immobilized when worn during physical activity of the wearer.

In U.S. Pat. No. 7,435,155B2 to Dana A. Reinisch, etc. which issued on Oct. 14, 2008, there is disclosed an athletic bra having a unitary, contiguous framework made of engineered laminated material and molded cups provides lightweight, breathable support and motion control. The framework comprises stretch, non-stretch and reinforcement zones in different areas of the bra and includes an integrated chest band, shoulder straps and a front exoskeleton onto which the molded cups are attached. The exoskeleton comprises an adjustable compression strap extending across the front and downward to a front central point of the chest band. The compression band provides adjustable compression and support and full separation of the breasts. The molded cups and exoskeleton achieve both encapsulation of each breast and compression of the breasts for motion control. The adjustment areas of the compression strap, the shoulder straps, and the back closure area provided with a robust hook which is selectively received into a series of adjustment slots or aligned perforations.

In U.S. Pat. No. 8,257,138 to Cynthia A. Smith which issued on Sep. 4, 2012, there is disclosed a bra to be worn during vigorous physical activity. It provides the wearer with a high level of breast tissue support without undue restriction of breathing or shoulder movement, while providing means for ventilation and moisture management. The bra is underwire free, and designed to be worn as outer-wear. The bra achieves these objectives through the innovative combination of various non-stretch and stretch fabrics. The non-stretch portions of the garment provide a high level of compression and stability to the breast tissue, while the multiple regions of stretch fabric minimize breathing and shoulder restrictions and provide ventilation. Non-stretch wicking fabric is used to form the majority of the body of the bra, and is used to pull the breast tissue in and hold it firmly to the chest. This non-stretch fabric is connected to panels of stretch wicking fabric located in the front and back of the body of the bra.

In U.S. Pat. No. 8,137,155B2 to Katsuko Horii et al. which issued on Mar. 20, 1012, there is disclosed clothing having cups in which a front center supporting part is provided at a portion where front sides of left and right cups covering left and right breasts respectively which are disposed nearer to a front center in a left-to-right direction than top portions of the left and right cups are continuous with each other, with a front central position interposed between the front sides of the left and right cups. Upper and lower portions of the front center supporting part are spread in a left-to-right direction with the upper and lower portions thereof extended to upper and lower sides of the left and right cups respectively surrounding each of the top portions to such an extent that the upper portion is located at a position where the upper portion and a strap are continuous with each other.

Other patents and published applications of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,905 to Mark V. Atwater et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,938,711B1, U.S. 2012/0122370A1 to Hilary Heath et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,851 to Timothy F. Dicker; U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,651 to Christina L Ekins; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,938,711 B1 to Yvonne Johnston.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved sports bra.

It is another object of this invention to provide a sports bra which is designed specifically to reduce breast motion and breast displacement when the wearer is engaged in a vigorous sport such as basketball, volleyball or tennis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A sports bra for restricting breast motion when the wearer is engaged in a vigorous sport such as basketball, tennis or volleyball comprises a left breast cup having an outer piece and an inner piece joined together by a vertical seam and a right breast cup having an outer piece and an inner piece joined together by a vertical seam, a left front panel attached to the left bra cup and to a left back panel, a left stretch panel attached to the left back panel, a right front panel attached to the right bra cup, a right back panel attached to the right front panel and to a right stretch panel, an adjustable rear closure for attaching together the two back panels, an adjustable front closure for attaching closely together the two breast cups and a pair of shoulder straps attached to the breast cups and to the back panels.

Various features and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration and for practicing this invention. This embodiment will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like parts:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view broken away in parts of a sports bra according to this invention in a laid out position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the front of the sports bra shown in FIG. 1 as it would appear on a wearer;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the back of the sports bra shown in FIG. 1 as it would appear on a wearer;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of one of the hooks and loop assemblies shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a back elevational view of the right breast cup shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a section view taken along lines A-A in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The sports bra of this invention is designed to restrict breast motion while the wearer is engaged in a vigorous sport such as basketball, tennis and volleyball. A unique feature of this invention is that it uses the weight of one breast to restrict the motion of the other. This is accomplished using a front closure in the form of a lace and two sets of eyelets, one set of eyelets on each breast cup, the lace tying the front inner sides of the two breast cups together. This bra is designed to fit closely over the woman's chest and around her torso. Its breast cups encapsulate the breasts allowing for a close fit, minimizing motion caused by unnecessary space, and except for strategically placed stretchable panels located on the back band, the athletic bra is made of non-stretch materials. This is important since the tension created through the use of non-stretch material and bra's design creates opposing force to the breast's motion, thus restricting its ability to move, reducing displacement and redistributing force to the wearer's torso. This combination of design, materials and fit produces a bra that provides superior support, is light-weight, and comfortable to wear. For a non-stretch fabric, the bra uses a tightly woven or knitted polyester, or a nylon, or a cotton blend.

The present invention is particularly important and useful for large breasted women but is not exclusively limited to that used.

In playing basketball, tennis or volleyball breast motion is unrestricted; moving in all directions breast forces are significant since great force is exerted when dribbling a basketball, hitting a volleyball or swinging a tennis racket. As will hereinafter be shown and described in detail, to reduce breast motion and breast displacement the present invention comprises a pair of 3-piece bra cups.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a front elevation view of a sports bra according to this invention in a laid out position and identified by reference numeral 11. A front elevation view of sports bra 11 as it would appear on a wearer is shown in FIG. 2 and a rear elevation view of sports bra 11 as it would appear on a wearer is shown in FIG. 3.

In the drawings, seam lines are shown as dashed lines.

Sports bra 11 includes a left back closure tab 13, a left stretch panel 15, a left back panel 17, a left front panel 19, a left breast cup 21, a right breast cup 23, a right front panel 25, a right back panel 27, a right stretch panel 29, a right back closure tab 31 and a pair of shoulder straps 33 and 35. Left back closure tab 13 is sewn to left stretch panel 15 by a seam line S1. Also, left back panel 17 is joined to left stretch panel 15 by a seam line S2. Left front panel 19 is triangularly shaped.

Left back closure tab 13 contains a plurality of sets of loops 37 and right back closure tab 31 contains a set of hooks 39. As can be seen in FIG. 3. hooks 39 and loops 37 together form an adjustable back closure 41.

Left breast cup 21 includes an outer piece 43, an inner piece 45 and a top piece 47. Outer piece 43 includes a top concave outer edge, a bottom convex outer edge and a convex inner edge. Inner piece 45 includes a top edge, a convex outer edge, a horizontal bottom edge 53 and a convex inner edge. A set of eyelets 49 are sewn onto inner piece 45 and a single eyelet 51 is sewn onto top piece 45 near its outer edge. The sole purpose of top piece 47 is to prevent the breast from coming out from the top of the bra when the wearer is jumping.

Breast cup pieces 43, 45 and 47 are sewn together by stitching S3, S4, S5, S6 and S7.

Breast cup 23 is a mirror image of breast cup 21 and thus includes an inner piece 53, an outer piece 55, a top piece 57 and stitching seams S7 through 511. Breast cup 23 also includes a set of eyelets 59. The right side of sports bra 11 also includes seams S12-S15.

Also, panels 25, 27 and 29 are mirror images of panels 15, 17 and 19 respectively.

The set of eyelets 49 and 59 on breast cups 21 and 23, respectively together with lace 61 form an adjustable front closure 63 for tying breast cups 21 and 23 together. When sports bra 11 is on a person and front closure 63 is untied, breast cups 21 and 23 will be spaced apart as shown in FIG. 1. On the other hand, when lacing 61 is tied, breast cups 21 and 23 will be closer together as shown in FIG. 2. How tightly laced or how close the breasts are to each other depends upon the comfort of the wearer.

Shoulder straps 33 and 35 are made of non-stretch material.

Each piece of breast cup 21 and breast cup 23 and their corresponding seams are shaped to diffuse upward, downward and side motion by offering opposing resisting forces.

Although the main tension is provided by the weight of one breast on the other breast, the opposing tension created by the bra cup's seams, namely, seams S4 and S5 provide additional rigidity and help diffuse tension away from the lace area. Outer piece 49 of breast cup 21 provides vertical tension with its center seam and diagonal tension from three side seams (one at the underarm, one at the top of the bra cup and one at the bottom side of the bra cup that connects to the bra's band 53). These work synergistically to restrict upward motion and displacement and provide additional tension with the laces to keep the breast close together. These sports are vigorous and require a substantial amount of jumping movements creating the potential for the breast to bounce out of the top of the cup.

Closure tabs 13 and 31, back panels 17 and 27, front panels 25 and 19 and breast cup panels 43, 45, 47, 61, 63 and 65 are all made of non-stretch material.

Other parts of sports bra 11 include a pair of plackets 65 and 67, one on each breast cup, a center bra cup connector 69, sliders 71, metal hooks 73, flange 75 and flexible boning 77.

Plackets 65 and 67 are pieces of fabric for reinforcing the area where the eyelets 57 and 67 on the breast cups 21 and 23 are located. They are sewn onto the outer surface of pieces 45 and 61. Center bra cup connector 69 is a strip of non-stretch material attached to breast cups 21 and 23 which adds stability to sports bra 11 while allowing for motion. Panels 19 and 25 make up the front of the band of sports bra 11. Flange 75 is sewn to inner side 85 of inner piece 53 of breast cup 21 to prevent the breasts from touching.

The embodiment of the present invention described above is intended to be merely exemplary and those skilled in the art shall be able to make numerous variations and modifications to it without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A sports bra designed primarily for large breasted women but not exclusively limited thereto for restricting breast motion when the wearer is engaged in a vigorous sport such as basketball, tennis or volleyball comprising: (a) a left breast cup having multi-pieces and a right breast cup having multi-pieces, the multi-pieces in each breast cup including an outer piece and an inner piece the outer piece and the inner piece being sized, shaped, arranged and interconnected by stitching so as to reduce breast motion and breast displacement when engaged in a vigorous sport such as basketball, tennis or volleyball; (b) a left front panel attached to the left bra cup and a right front panel attached to the right bra cup; (c) a left back panel attached to the left bra cup and attached to the left front panel and a right back panel attached to the right bra cup and attached to the right front panel; (d) a left stretch panel attached to the left back panel and a right stretch panel attached to the right back panel; (e) an adjustable rear closure for attaching together the two back panels; (f) an adjustable front closure for attaching together closely the two breast cups so that the weight of one breast restricts motion of the other breast; and (g) a pair of shoulder straps attached to the breast cups and the back panels.
 2. The sports bra of claim 1 wherein each breast cup also includes an a top piece for preventing the breast from coming out from the top of the breast cup when engaged in a vigorous sport.
 3. The sports bra of claim 2 wherein each piece is made of non-stretch material.
 4. The sports bra of claim 3 wherein the adjustable front closure includes a set of eyelets on each breast cup and a lace when extending through the two sets of eyelets for pulling the two breast cups together.
 5. The sports bra of claim 4 wherein the outer and inner pieces of each breast cup are joined by a vertical seam.
 6. The sports bra of claim 5 wherein the vertical seam on each breast cup is vertical.
 7. The sports bra of claim 6 wherein the vertical seam on each breast cup is rounded.
 8. The sports bra of claim 1 wherein the inner piece of each breast cup includes a top seam and a bottom seam for providing additional rigidity and diffusing tension away from the front closure.
 9. The sports bra of claim 8 wherein the outer piece and inner piece in each breast cup are joined together by a rounded vertical seam.
 10. The sports bra of claim 9 and further including a flange on the inside of one of the breast cups for preventing the two breast rubbing against each other.
 11. The sports bra of claim 10 and further including a bra cup connector attached to both bra cups for adding stability to the sports bra. 